Niagara falls toy



June 15, 1965 o. J. PARCO 3,188,769

NIAGARA FALLS TOY Filed 001;. 25, 1963 FIE.

INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,188,769 NIAGARA FALLS TOY Oresto J. Parco, 518 Edmond St., Pittsburgh, Pa. Filed Oct. 25, 1963, Ser. No. 318,922 3 Claims. (Cl. 46-91) This invention relates to toys and more particularly to a hydro-kinetic toy.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a waterfall toy which will be novel in appearance, colorful and the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a waterfall toy which will have a pair of tanks, one refilling the other when the device is rotated or turned to an upside down position.

A further object of the present invent-ion is to provide a waterfall toy which will have tanks of sufficient depth in order that the flow of water will continue for a considerable length of time from a narrow aperture in the top tank and will allow just enough water to cascade downwardly by gravitational force to create a glaze.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a waterfall toy bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and efficient in operation and use.

For further objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of the present invention shown in section and in elevation;

FIGURE 2 is a view taken along the lines 2--2 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, a waterfall toy made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a pair of parallel, spaced apart side walls 12 made of transparent material having a pair of parallel, spaced apart transparent end walls 14 with a top transparent wall 16 and a transparent bottom wall 18, providing a watertight enclosure of rectangular configuration.

The interior of waterfall toy 10 is provided with an upper tank 20 and a lower tank 22 which provide means for collecting water. An elongated slot 24 within end wall 25 of upper tank 20 provides means for water 26 in upper tank 20 to cascade downwardly by gravitational force into the lower tank 22, simulating a real waterfall. Tanks 20 and 22 are interconnected by an arcuate water tow shed 28 which provides a means for returning water 26 from tank 22 back into the upper tank 20 by rotation of toy 10.

In operation, water enters slot 24 from within upper tank 20 and arcuately cascades downward into lower tank 22 and when upper tank 20 is empty by gravitational force, waterfall toy 10 is rotated to allow water 26 to 3,188,769 Patented June 15, 1965 ice enter into water tow shed 28 whereupon it refills upper tank 20 for a repeat of the cycle.

It shall be noted that the depth and length of the tanks may be varied and the water tow shed 28 may be removed to provide a variation in the design.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A waterfall toy comprising, in combination, a hollow rectangular container, said container having transparent property to permit view thereinto, a pair of parallel, vertically spaced apart tanks carried within said container providing a space between said tanks, the upper of said tanks being substantially enclosed, the lower of said tanks being open, each of said tanks having a front wall, the front wall of said upper tank having an elongated slot along the lower edge thereof providing a metered escape means for water contained within said upper tank, said lower tank front wall being located in a relatively more forward position than said front wall of said upper tank, a quantity of water carried by said tanks, said water carried by said upper tank being dispensed through said elongated slot by gravitational means, said water providing a waterfall effect as it cascades unsupported downwardly across said space to said lower tank and an interconnecting water tow shed of arcuate configuration between said tanks, said water shed communicating with the rear ends of each of said tanks and providing a return means for the water which has cascaded downwardly.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the top of said upper tank abuts with the top wall of said container and the bottom of said lower tank abuts with the bottom wall of said container and said arcuate tow shed interconnecting with said upper tank and said lower tank provides a means for returning said water from said lower tank back into said upper tank when said container is rotated to an upside down position, to prep-are the cycle for a repetition of the water cascading into said lower tank.

3. The combination according to claim 2 wherein saidupper tank and said lower tank in combination with said interconnecting water tow shed are of transparent material and of U-shaped configuration in form providing easy gravitational transfer of water between the tanks defined by said U-shaped configuration.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. A WATERFALL TOY COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A HOLLOW RECTANGULAR CONTAINER, SAID CONTAINER HAVING TRANSPARENT PROPERTY TO PERMIT VIEW THEREINTO, A PAIR OF PARALLEL, VERTICALLY SPACED APART TANKS CARRIED WITHIN SAID CONTAINER PROVIDING A SPACE BETWEEN SAID TANKS, THE UPPER OF SAID TANKS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY ENCLOSED, THE LOWER OF SAID TANKS BEING OPEN, EACH OF SAID TANKS HAVING A FRONT WALL, THE FRONT WALL OF SAID UPPER TANK HAVING AN ELONGATED SLOT ALONG THE LOWER EDGE THEREOF PROVIDING A METERED ESCAPE MEANS FOR WATER CONTAINED WITHIN SAID UPPER TANK, SAID LOWER TANK FRONT WALL BEING FRONT WALL OF SAID UPPER TANK, FORWARD POSITION THAN SAID FRONT WALL OF SAID UPPER TANK, A QUANTITY OF WATER CARRIED BY SAID TANKS, SAID WATER CARRIED BY SAID UPPER TANK BEING DISPENSED THROUGH SAID ELONGATED SLOT BY GRAVITATIONAL MEANS, SAID WATER PROVIDING A WATERFALL EFFECT AS IT CASCADES UNSUPPORTED DOWNWARDLY ACROSS SAID SPACE TO SAID LOWER TANK AND AN INTERCONNECTING WATER TOW SHED OF ARCUATE CONFIGURATION BETWEEN SAID TANKS, SAID WATER SHED COMMUNICATING WITH THE REAR ENDS OF EACH OF SAID TANKS AND PROVIDING A RETURN MEANS FOR THE WATER WHICH HAS CASCADED DOWNWARDLY. 